Algonquin Provincial Park Trail Running Guide
Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park, long known as a classic Canadian canoe camping destination, also boasts overlooked but beautiful trail running routes. While hiking and paddling guides for the park abound, running-specific route information is scarce. This guide covers some of the best trails for running in the park, from quick three-kilometre loops to all-day outings for experienced runners.
Why Run at Algonquin Provincial Park?
Just a three- to four-hour drive from Toronto or Ottawa, Algonquin Provincial Park lets you trade urban sprawl for sprawling wilderness. Its system of wide, well-maintained trails takes you into the deep woods of the Canadian Shield, whose hilly terrain will test your heart and legs. As the runner’s high sets in, you stride through a vast landscape of lakes, bogs, and rivers left by the last ice age’s glaciers and an ecotone blending hardwood and northern boreal forests. This varied, rich environment is full of life, and whether you have a lucky encounter, see tracks, or just sense their presence, the park’s animals—moose, wolves, beaver, otter, loons, deer, and more—make every run feel wild. Photo by Ariana Kaminski Distance: 3.3 km Elevation gain/loss: 112 m Trailhead location: km 27.2 on Highway 60 Highlights: Old-growth hemlocks, elevated viewpoints, lakes Hemlock Bluff Trail gives you two steep hills to climb for quick bursts of cardio as it loops above Jack Lake and along the lakeshore. You’ll run through a mosaic of hardwood and evergreen forests and a large grove of old-growth hemlocks. Keep an eye out for bright red reishi mushrooms on the trail’s namesake trees. Distance: 5.1 km Elevation gain/loss: 127 m Trailhead location: South of Highway 60 at the end of Rock Lake Road Highlights: Panoramic clifftop views Booth’s Rock offers a big payoff for a relatively modest climb—four bare, rocky clifftops overlooking Rock Lake, reached via a gradual ascent with some wooden staircases. The way back is smooth sailing on an old railway bed that follows the lakeshore and passes some beaver ponds. Photo courtesy of Ontario Parks Distance: 5.5 km Elevation gain/loss: 117 m Trailhead location: km 30 on Highway 60 Highlights: Old-growth forest and a lookout This short jaunt gets you into your running groove with just one sustained, moderate climb and a well-maintained (though sometimes muddy) trail with steps on steeper sections and boardwalks over wet terrain. You’ll run by the eponymous lake and over a bog, through different forest types—dark stands of evergreens, ancient hemlocks, and open woods of yellow birch and maples—and beside rollicking Jack Creek. Along the way, you’ll spot fern-frocked boulders and rock faces and enjoy a few sweeping vistas over the lake and rolling forests. Distance: 8.6 km Elevation gain/loss: 316 m Trailhead location: km 25 on Highway 60 Highlights: Lookout over Cache Lake, ruins of nineteenth-century wooden trestle bridges This loop follows Cache Lake, climbs a set of wooden stairs to a lookout, runs along a flat stretch of old railroad bed, then climbs again to skirt Grant Lake before descending back to the trailhead. It has both fast, smooth sections and others that are rugged and rooty. When the creeks are running high, they’re full of cascades and waterfalls. For a relatively flat six-kilometre outing, skip the climb to the lookout. Distance: 10.3 km Elevation gain/loss: 433 m Trailhead location: km 37.6 on Highway 60 Highlights: Several viewpoints, Cloud Lake, Rutter Lake This rugged, often rocky trail takes you up to some of the highest elevations in the park, topping out at over 500 m with multiple ups and downs. It links up five remote lakes and runs along ridges and rocky outcrops with big views over the forested hills. The loop can be busy in the summer, so start early if seeking solitude. Photo courtesy of Ontario Parks Distance: 11.7 km Elevation gain/loss: 154 m Trailhead location: km 15.4 on Highway 60 Highlights: 9 small lakes and ponds, bogs, wildlife Mizzy Lake trail is a wild, wet, deep-woods ramble. In the shoulder seasons or after abundant rain, the trail can be muddy, though the roughly two-kilometre stretch following the old railway bed between Mizzy Lake and Wolf Howl Pond lets you open it up or even do some speedwork. The mostly flat trail travels through watery environments, including lakes, ponds, and bogs. The upshot is that you’ll explore prime habitat for moose, bears, turtles, and beavers, whose elaborate engineering work sometimes floods the route. Boardwalks over bogs give you a close look at carnivorous pitcher plants. On the forest floor in June, you’ll spot pink lady’s slippers thriving in the moist ground. Distance: 17.6 km (currently 20.2 km with a detour) Elevation gain/loss: 530 m Trailhead location: Highland Backpacking Trailhead near the Mew Lake Campground Highlights: Views of Provoking Lake, Provoking Falls This backcountry lollipop loop takes you into deep, beautiful woods with striking rock features. It crosses the Madawaska River and circles Provoking Lake, tracing its shoreline and climbing into the surrounding hills. Expect a bit of mud and serious vert: the trail repeatedly rises and falls, sometimes over rocky steeps. The backcountry campsites feature the best views of the lake. In late spring, keep an eye out for trillium. Note: a closed bridge at Provoking Falls currently forces a 2.6 km detour—much of which follows the fast, flat Old Railway Bike Trail—pushing the total to 20.2 km. Or, river flow and your cold tolerance permitting, you can ford the river (but proceed with the utmost caution). Either way, you can take the trail to the out-of-order bridge for a view of small but charming Provoking Falls. Photo courtesy of Ontario Parks Distance: 32.3 km Elevation gain/loss: 1,054 m Trailhead location: Western Uplands Backpacking Trailhead/Oxtongue River Picnic Ground Highlights: Beautiful lakes, solitude This route is the shortest loop on the Western Uplands backpacking trail. It’s an epic run that racks up massive vertical gain over undulating terrain. The trail can be muddy and rocky but is generally smooth going. You get a bit of everything Algonquin Provincial Park has to offer: a mosaic of forest types, from old, airy hardwoods to dark evergreen groves to younger, denser woods; beaver dams and buzzing marshes; silvery, singing creeks; and tranquil backcountry lakes. About 35 minutes from Algonquin’s west gate, the private Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve offers a free alternative for runners looking for more routes. With over 70 km of trails winding through 10,000 forested acres dotted with lakes, locals consider the forest a prime trail-running spot. Distance: 13.9 km Elevation gain/loss: 355 m Trailhead location: Parking area near Clear Lake Creek north of the entrance gate Highlights: Echo Rock viewpoint, old-growth white pine, moose sightings at Buck Lake The route starts along Solitaire Lake’s western shore, where it runs through groves of large white pines, including one with a 10-foot circumference. Along some lakeside stretches, elegant cedars curve outward toward the sunlight. Echo Rock, in the lake’s northwest corner, gives an elevated viewpoint over the water. The trails travel through diverse woods interspersed with wetlands, stringing together Solitaire, Helve, Buck, Clear, and Turtle lakes. Buck Lake, which lies in a more secluded area of the reserve, can be a good place to spot moose. Photo courtesy of Ontario Parks Crowds Peak crowds occur in the summer when schools are out. Hikers can be numerous but are generally courteous toward runners. That said, if true solitude is the goal, an early start is the way to go during the high season. Bugs Black flies and mosquitoes can be hellacious in May and June, and July usually brings out voracious deer flies. Pack repellent and mentally gird yourself accordingly. Mud Trails are often muddy into early June, and again after any heavy rain and starting mid-to-late fall—namely, from mid-October until the snow arrives. Permits A valid park permit is required to access the trails; check Ontario Parks’ day-use fee page for current rates, which vary by season and location. Viewing Moose and Wolves Your best odds of spotting moose or wolves aren’t on the trails—they’re along Highway 60, the main road running through the park, especially around dawn and dusk (the latter being much more rarely seen than the former). Local Run Club If you’re based in the area, the Muskoka Algonquin Runners is a great way to connect with other local runners, train, and pick up more trail knowledge. 
Under 10 km
Hemlock Bluff Trail
Booth’s Rock Trail
Bat Lake Trail
Track and Tower Trail
Under 20 km
Centennial Ridges Trail
Mizzy Lake Trail
Highland Backpacking Short Loop
20 km+
Western Uplands Short Loop
Bonus: Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve
Limberlost Loop
Practical Information
